Hampton loses to Florida A&M 44-20

James Owens rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries as Florida A&M topped visiting Hampton 44-20 in the MEAC opener for each school.

Damien Fleming threw for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-28 as the Rattlers (1-2, 1-0 MEAC) opened their home schedule in winning fashion.

Travis Champion racked up 347 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air in the losing effort for the Pirates (0-3, 0-1 MEAC), who had a early 7-6 lead but were outscored by the home squad 31-13 after the first quarter.

The Rattlers nearly doubled Hampton's rushing efforts, outgaining the Pirates on the ground 253-127 and kept the Hampton defense on the field in key situations throughout, converting on 7-of-11 third down tries.